Weekly House Cleaning Chores You Should Be Doing

Weekly House Cleaning Chores You Should Be Doing

The time it takes to clean and the length of your chore list will depend on the numbers of rooms and size of your home, however this is a fairly basic but comprehensive list of things you should be cleaning weekly to stay caught up. Choose a routine that works best for you and go room to room, cleaning from top to bottom, doing the floors last.

Start your new weekly routine by checking the room you’re in for clutter on vanities, dressers, counters, and coffee or side tables. Be sure you toss things you don’t want and put the rest away right then. This clutter includes magazines and catalogs, bills, hair ties, paperwork, books, disposable coffee cups, school papers, etc.

If you can, get everyone into the routine of moving clutter and tossing trash every time you exit a room and keep waste baskets in more areas so it’s easier to dispose of things before they accumulate.

Continue through the room with your favorite gentle but effective cleaning agent on a damp cloth to wipe all regularly used remotes, keyboards, mirrors, doors, knobs, light switches, and glass, removing germs and paw or finger prints. The small things we touch absent-mindedly all day can carry far more germ loads when tested than a toilet seat!

Be careful when cleaning anything like a computer keyboard or mouse! Never spray a cleaning agent directly on these precious and expensive items.

When dusting, always dust from the top down in any room. You’ll need to use a microfiber cloth, special dust mop or feather duster, or a vacuum on all light fixtures, vents, trim or molding, and ceiling fans throughout your home. Weekly extensive dusting might be overkill in some seasons, so biweekly could be okay. However, if you have allergies to dust or dust mites, weekly will always be best.

Of course, dusting flat surfaces is a must, but also get your banisters, books, wood furniture, picture frames, lamps, shelves and knickknacks.

You’ll want to fluff and turn pillows, cushions and comforters, and vacuum or dust mop your stairs and landings.

Check all room corners for cobwebs too. These sneak up on you quite quickly if your home is a happy host for spiders.

To keep your home truly hygienic, the kitchen and bathroom need special attention due to grease and grime build-up and to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria.

In the bathroom you should spray doors, tub, sink, walls, and toilet letting the cleanser sit a moment to loosen and dissolve grime you can and cannot see. Then start from top to bottom and be sure to get behind the toilet bowl!

In the kitchen you’ll need to weekly deep clean your whole counter, appliance fronts, vent hood, cupboard doors, refrigerator, and any other flat surface. Don’t forget to check the refrigerator for food items that should be thrown away. Empty out your toaster crumb tray and wipe out the microwave and toaster oven.

If it’s a chore cleaning the dried-on messes in your microwave, heat a mug of water (with a slice of lemon if you have it) in the microwave until steaming and let it sit inside for a few minutes with the door closed. That steam will loosen everything inside so it easily wipes out with a wet rag or sponge.

For both the kitchen and bathroom, once a week it’s recommended that not only do you scrub your sink and faucet areas thoroughly, but you may want to run either boiling water through the drain or a sink full of bleach and water solution to disinfect. If you choose the latter, simply fill the sink with water, add bleach, drain, then rinse with another sink full of clean water.

Do your drains clog every few months?

You can pour a half cup of baking soda in the drain followed by white vinegar to cleanse and help release the drain of grime and gunk that eventually forms a clog. The vinegar will cause the baking soda to bubble and scrub at that grime as it moves through your drain pipe. Once it’s bubbled, you can pour boiling water down the drain to finish the cleanse. This is an excellent antibacterial soak using more natural, toxin-free products than store-bought drain releasers. It’s also a good preventative before you get that stubborn clog.

As you go through your whole home weekly cleaning routine, empty all household trash and recycling bins and wipe out the insides and outsides of the kitchen and bathroom bins with a germ-killing agent.

Change and/or launder your bath mats, towels, and washcloths, sheets and pillowcases, as well as any washable throw rugs because these trap invisible nasties like bacteria, mold, dust and dust mites.

When a room is done in all other aspects, you should then vacuum and mop floors. And one last thing: check the patio or covered porch for a bit of sweeping and decluttering by the door.

Whew! That’s a lot of work.

Weekly housekeeping chores can become overwhelming quickly, or the prospect of it may have you overwhelmed already if you’re behind. It is likely you will put in 2-3 hours of cleaning; more if you’re just getting started in your new routine. That’s not including daily chores, monthly, and seasonal or annual items to check off your list.

How can you possibly stay on top of everything you need to clean around your home?

A maid service can really come in handy to keep you ahead of the cleaning avalanche so you can focus on the rest of your domestic and family duties. Remember, things will build up quickly if they’re not cleaned regularly. It’s easier on you in every aspect to get ahead of the cleaning game and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help from a professional housekeeper if you need it.

We would love to be a part of your cleaning routine! Contact us for help in the Triangle area and we’ll help you stay on top of your chore list and make your home sparkle.